The Prophecy of Kirei
by VanyD
Summary: Sayu is sent to Konan to find a way to fulfill a prophecy that she knows nothing about. With all the obsticles, with all the mistrust, and with Tasuki's golden eyes haunting her, can she do what needs to be done?
1. Sayu

YAYAY! My new FY fic! WOO! This one is kinda really long. Well, I think it's long. It's longer than my other fics. Let's hope ppl really review for this one! I made the first chapter really goofy, and fun. I had a lot of fun with this. Anyway, the next chapter is more serious, and so I just want to warn you that the same light heartedness that is present in this chapter is not really in the second chap.  
  
Disclaimer: This is for the whole damn fic. I don't own anything. I never did own anything, and I never will own anything. Wow that's depressing.  
  
~Sayuki~ I swung my legs over the arm of the chair, and lounged, waiting for my audience to arrive. I hadn't wanted to come. In fact, I protested long and hard, but Taiitsukun (A/N: How the hell do u spell her name? Feel free to mention how to spell it in a review ^_^) wouldn't take no for an answer. She kept saying it was my destiny; that I was in the prophecy. I explained to her that she had the wrong gal, but baba didn't hear me. She never does listen. She could be senile.  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?" I heard someone bellow.  
  
"What's with the yellin? I'm not deaf ya know! Can't a girl get a nap around here?" I frowned, opening my eyes, which had only gotten a short reprieve.  
  
"Who... Are... You..." The emperor ground out, as he stood feet away, sword pointed, staring at me lounging on his throne.  
  
"Is this yours?" I asked, pointing down at the large chair, "Not nearly as comfy as it should be."  
  
"I will only ask you once more."  
  
"I am here to help you, but if you keep going on like that, you'll get nothin from me." I hopped off the throne.  
  
"Hotohori, what's wrong?" The empress asked walking in.  
  
"A bit late, huh?" I cocked an eyebrow at her. Just then the Suzaku seishe ran in, "Oh, my mistake. Korin, you are mostly on time, but everyone else... that's just sad for seishe. Maybe I'll get you all watches one day." I mused.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" A red haired guy asked. Must be Tasuki. What's with the fangs? I suppressed laughter, and settled with a smirk.  
  
"I'm your future savior, fang boy, so shut up and listen." I winked at him. I'm pretty sure he growled at me. "My name is Senshi no Yami Sayuki, but you can call me Sayu. I've been sent here by Tai-kun. Something big is going to happen, but she didn't tell me what. All I was told to do was protect you, and that I'll understand everything when the time is right. Time is right my ass, but hey, what can ya do? Can I get something to eat around here?" I walked off, leaving the others to digest the info. As I reached the doors of the kitchen they all appeared before me, holding out weapons, and looking angry. I hadn't even done anything yet.  
  
"How do we know that we can trust you?" a blue haired man asked in an oddly female sounding voice... Nuriko.  
  
"I dunno. I guess that's half the fun, can I eat now?" I frowned.  
  
"Hell no!" Tasuki yelled at me.  
  
"What is with men and their stupidity? I am friend, do not hurt me, me want food, me say, BYE BYE!" With that I teleported into the kitchen. Outside the door I heard them yell various things, and then call the guards to search the grounds for me. Jeez were they uptight. I shrugged and went about making myself a sandwich.  
  
"Who are you?" I heard a girl ask minutes later. I looked over my shoulder and smiled widely at her.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd speak. You stood there for a long while."  
  
"I was confused."  
  
"Understandable." I turned to talk to the young girl.  
  
"You're... you're female?" She looked at me wide eyed.  
  
"What gave it away? The breasts?" I smirked.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you're wearing pants and boots and... I thought you were male. My apologies." The girl blushed, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.  
  
"No need. I'm not offended. What is your name?"  
  
"Yumi."  
  
"Well Yumi, I'm Sayu."  
  
"How did you get in here?"  
  
"Teleported in. A trick I picked up years ago."  
  
"You should go to see his majesty. It is not safe wandering around now. There is a stranger loose on the property."  
  
"Ok. I'll see you later Yumi." I picked up my sandwich, and walked to the door, "Oh, and by the way, NEWS FLASH, I'm the stranger." I smiled widely at her shocked face, and proceeded to leave.  
  
"You!" I heard a female voice shriek through the hallway, as I nearly walked into Korin while turning the corner.  
  
"Why do they let the pregnant Empress walk alone in the palace when there is possible danger? Men, so stupid." I shook my head.  
  
"What do you want with me?" She said. She looked shocked, and fearful. What the hell did she think I wanted with her?  
  
"I DON'T want anything with you." I cocked a questioning eyebrow at her. "Hey, all I wanted was a sandwich." I bit into my sandwich. Good stuff.  
  
"You don't want to kill anyone? Steal anything?"  
  
"I told everyone I was a friend, but NOOOO. So irritating."  
  
"Well, then. Come with me, and I'll show you to everyone, and we can explain that you mean no harm." She smiled at me, but I could see the strain in her face. It was a trap. The only reason why she was walking around alone was to get me. I smiled at her. It wasn't a very friendly smile, and I saw the effort it took her to keep smiling at me instead of cringing. She turned and led me down various hallways, occasionally looking back to see if I had run away. Finally we reached the throne room, and she pulled open the doors. The room appeared to be empty, but I knew better. I carefully stayed just outside the door.  
  
"Come in." She said when she realized I didn't come in with her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Korin, but I'm not fond of traps."  
  
"GO!" I heard Hotohori yell. The seishe ran at me, and I teleported, but then the guy with the mask, Chichiri, followed me. We played a game of cat and mouse, teleporting all over the palace; by the end, we stood panting from exhaustion in the courtyard.  
  
"I mean no harm, idiot!" I growled.  
  
"Then prove it."  
  
"I did. Instead of killing all of you, which I could have, I made a sandwich."  
  
"A woman's logic; stupid." I heard from behind a tree, and out popped Tasuki. He glared hot amber eyes at me, and my bright blue eyes glared right back.  
  
"Men, they don't understand anything." I muttered.  
  
"What was that?" Tasuki challenged.  
  
"May I hurt him?" I asked Chichiri.  
  
"No." Chichri shrugged, and moved out of attack stance, "I don't feel any negative energy coming from you. You truly are from Taiistkun, no da?"  
  
"FINALLY!!!" I cried, walking past Chichiri, and to the throne room to retrieve my discarded sandwich.  
  
~Haha I'm so weird, anyway, PREVIEW: "He's waiting for you." 


	2. Naru

OMG I GOT NO REVIEWS AT ALL FOR THIS FIC! That really sux! I've never gotten no reviews.... Wow that's depressing. Anyway, please if ur reading, and not reviewing, STOP IT! Review for the sake of my sanity. This story gets better, and a whole lot more serious. The first chap is more of a goof. Anyway, please read. Oh, and I promise that Tasuki/Sayu action will happen soon enough! Bye bye my loves!  
  
Disclaimer: I own Sayu, MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Oh yeah, but not FY... sniff.  
  
Three days. Three long and boring days. No fighting, no parties, no friends to chat with. No fun at all. I sighed as I laid back on the grass of the garden. Why was I here? There's supposed to be a purpose, right? Well I'm here, so... "Suzaku, what do you want with me?" I whispered. I closed my eyes, and basked in the warm sunlight. I could almost feel the light reflecting off of my long blonde hair. I normally kept my hair in a braid down my back, but just for today I let it out. Let it breath. Usually I think about cutting the nuisance that is my hair, but it was times like these when I loved my hair. I cherished it. It made me feel feminine, and not at all like the warrior I'd become. I felt something lick the side of my face, and I let out a sigh. Hime, Mitsukake's cat had taken a liking to me. I don't mind thought. Animals are my specialty. I talk to animals. When I'm alone, they are my companions. Many other people are like that as well, but as they speak to animals, I talk to animals, as in having a conversation with them... literally.  
  
"Sayu?" I heard Hime's quiet voice vibrate through my head.  
  
"Yes Hime." I felt Hime jump onto my stomach, and lie down. Instinctively I began to stroke his head.  
  
"Are you feeling alright? Mitsukake-san can heal you."  
  
"I'm fine." I laughed lightly, "Just bored."  
  
"You should have Chiriko play for you. He is very good."  
  
"So I'm told." I opened my eyes, and frowned at the sky. It was starting to get too hot.  
  
"You can talk to Nuriko. He can be very fun." Hime said moving from my stomach to the ground. Curling up into my side.  
  
"I sure he can be." I said, barely audible. It was getting hotter. A cold sweat broke out on me. Something was wrong.  
  
"Sayu?" Hime questioned when I got up.  
  
"Hime, I'm going for a walk. I'll see ya." I walked off. I felt something pulling me. Someone was calling to me. Who? I reached one of the palace walls, and I could feel whoever it was on the other side. I vaulted over the wall, and was left in as expanse of trees. I carefully moved forward till I reached a small opening. I heard a soft voice whisper, "No." I know that voice!  
  
"You've come." A mans voice sneered at me as he came out from behind a tree.  
  
"You have Naru. I want him back." I said fiercely. Who was he, and why did he have my animal?  
  
"How do you know we have your precious animal?" He said after a short while. His eyes were slightly wider, and I could see him tense a bit.  
  
"I just do. Now where is he, and who the hell are you?"  
  
"You are in no position to make any demands." The man smiled, showing off yellow teeth.  
  
"Fuck you." His smile didn't vanish; instead it got wider.  
  
"You are just what we need." We looked me up and down.  
  
"Disgusting man." I mumbled.  
  
"We found this fowl creature," The man paused while another man stepped from behind a tree holding a bleeding Naru. The man held my huge dog as if he weighed nothing at all, "snooping around our hide out."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, we followed him here. We followed him to you."  
  
"What do you want?" I said through clenched teeth.  
  
"A kiss maybe?" He pushed his hand through his thick greasy black hair.  
  
"Hell no."  
  
"A kill?" His face became serious.  
  
"What makes you think I'd kill anyone?"  
  
"I heard about you. You're the warrior of some prophecy right? The one the Emperor said has come to protect us from unknown harm. All I'm asking is for you to kill one measly person for me. Choose wisely warrior because if you want your mutt back there'll be a price."  
  
"I don't like prices."  
  
"Too bad for you then."  
  
"Careful, they are good." Naru said to me mentally. I let out a short burst of laughter.  
  
"What's so funny?" The gang leader's eyes hardened. "You think I'm joking with you?" He clapped his hands, and a little more than ten men moved out from behind the trees to surround me. My eyes glazed over into a cold blue that was so dark that it seemed almost black. I could feel my anger set into my bones, and all of a sudden I was relaxed. I was in a perfect state of tranquility. I wasn't going to lose, hell, I wasn't even going to break a sweat.  
  
"All of you are about to lose your lives." I smirked, "stupid men." One man rushed at me with a knife in one hand. I ducked his first attack, and with calculated speed, shoved my fist into his gut. Two men came at me this time, and I teleported out of the way. I popped behind one of the confused guys, and grabbed hold of his head, twisting it till I heard his neck break. "Oops." I smiled, as the next man came at me. He didn't last very long. Soon all of them came at me at once, and soon they were all on the floor. Most were dead, but some unconscious. "Can I have my dog back now?" I questioned that leader, who stood looking at me wide eyed. Splattered blood stained my clothes, and cooled on my face. My smiled was large, and my eyes still cold and unfriendly.  
  
"All without the aid on a weapon." He gapped at me.  
  
"I like daggers, but I forgot them in my room. Oh but I also like gun, they just don't have them in this world." I stepped towards him, and he stepped back.  
  
"Give her the dog." He ordered the last of his men. He took a short glance at where the large man used to have been, and realized that the man had put the dog down and ran long ago. The leader turned to run, but I teleported in front of him.  
  
"Where do you think your going?" I frown at him.  
  
"No... No where."  
  
"If you were female, you'd be so much smarter, ya know." I moved up close to him, invading his personal space, "If you want, I can help you with that." I pushed a knife, which I had picked up from a fallen man, into his crotch. I made sure the flat side of the knife was pressing against him, wouldn't want my hand to slip or anything...  
  
"No, please. Please don't."  
  
"It would be the right thing to do."  
  
"Where did you get the knife? You can't do this."  
  
"I got it right before I teleported in front of you. If you hadn't turned to run, you would have seen me pick it up." The man's face was pale, and he was shaking ever so slightly. His fear made him look older, more fragile. I pitied him right up until I felt him get aroused. The blade pushed against his crotch had become pleasurable. I cringed in disgust. "Are you enjoying this?" I nearly yelled. I turned the knife so that the sharp blade rested on his hardened manhood. My rage was filling my up like a cup, and I thought about killing him. Slitting his throat just to watch the dark red blood gush out of him. No... he didn't deserve death.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." He stuttered.  
  
"Fucking piece of shit." I sneered, punching him with my free hand, and watching him fall to the ground no longer conscious. I did regret not cutting off his dick, but I was too disgusted to do it. I just wanted to get away from him as fast as possible. I walked over to Naru, and asked him how he felt. Even as he said he was ok, I noticed the blood seeping from open cuts. My eyes warmed up to a sky blue, and I could feel my over confident smirk slide off my face. My heart filled with worry, and I quickly lifted him, and walked to the entrance to the palace. I didn't have the energy to vault the wall, especially with Naru in my arms. When the guards noticed me they yelled for the emperor to come. I walked past them even as they protested. Soon all the seishe were out in the courtyard. Many looked at me wide-eyed, but I ignored them and turned to Mitsukake. "Please heal him." I set Naru on the floor.  
  
"But you..." Hotohori protested.  
  
"I am fine."  
  
"You're bleeding stupid." Tasuki argued.  
  
"It's not my blood." I glared at him. Everyone grew silent. Mitsukake kneeled by Naru and healed him.  
  
"Let him rest. He will be fully recovered by tomorrow." Mitsukake said. I wanted to make him swear that Naru would be all right. I wanted to threaten him that if Naru died I'd... I'd... I don't know what I'd do. I swallowed slowly, looking down at my old friend, my animal, Naru, and wasn't able to yell at Mitsukake. Naru would be all right, and if he wouldn't, then it was my fault for not saving him in time; not Mitsukake's.  
  
"Thanks." I smiled weakly. I quickly picked up Naru, and went off to my room. "Feeling better?" I whispered to him.  
  
"Yes. That man is handy to have." Naru answered weakly.  
  
"Ohhhh yeah." I agreed, putting the large dog down in my bed. He was in pain. He could have my bed for the day.  
  
"Normally dogs sleep on the floor." I turned to see Tamahome standing in the doorway.  
  
"Normally." I said dryly, and turned back to Naru, making him comfy.  
  
"That's a bit much for a stray don't you think?"  
  
"He's not a stray! He's mine."  
  
"You never told us you had a dog, no da." Chichiri popped up in the room.  
  
"Slipped my mind." I said blandly.  
  
"Sure it did." Tamahome responded.  
  
"The hell are you covered in blood for? All that didn't come from the dog." Tasuki barged in the room.  
  
"I got attacked you idiot. It's called self-defense." I crossed my arms over my breasts, getting extremely frustrated by the insane level of testosterone in the room.  
  
"Self-defense my ass." Tasuki snorted.  
  
"Anyway..." I ignored Tasuki's comment.  
  
"Who have you been fighting?" Yet another man invaded my room. This time it was Hotohori.  
  
"Some gang. I dunno. There's a clearing a couple feet outside the palace walls to the east. You'll find them there. 4 or 5 are dead, but the other half are alive, just unconscious." I sat down on the bed next to Naru and stroked his dark fur.  
  
"Why? Why did you kill them?" Hotohori's voice became strong and angry.  
  
"Didn't you see what they did to Naru? They took him, tortured him, and wanted me to kill for them. They deserved death. All except that scum of a gang leader."  
  
"Naru?" He questioned.  
  
"My dog."  
  
"Your dog?"  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
"Hell yes!" Tasuki cried.  
  
"Shut up." I yelled back  
  
"You shut up!"  
  
"Both of you shut up! I need sleep." Naru complained to me.  
  
"Oops." I shrugged, "Let's go. Naru can't rest if we're yelling in here." I got up and left the room. The rest followed me.  
  
"I don't appreciate you killing my people." Hotohori said as we moved into the throne room.  
  
"Excuse me for defending my... SELF!!!!" I screamed as white-hot pain course through my body from head to foot. I felt my body convulsing, but it felt so distant, so unreal. Someone said something to me. I couldn't understand it though. It sounded like it said.... "It's waiting for you." What? What's waiting for me? In a split second everything was gone, even the pain. Slowly I opened my eyes to see amber gazing at me, blazing amber eyes. I was engrossed in the intensity for what seemed like forever. For sure my mouth was gaping, but it wasn't until a bell went off in my head reminding me that it was Tasuki's eyes. I blinked, and looked away quickly, blushing heavily. That's when I realized that I was lying on the floor. I looked past Tasuki and saw everyone else looking at me curiously.  
  
"Oi, woman, what happened?" Tasuki asked, bringing my attention back to him.  
  
"Did you just call me 'Woman?'" I asked, my face flushing in anger. I was confused, I was angry, and something was waiting for me. I didn't need to deal with this jerk too.  
  
"Smooth Tasuki, real smooth." Tamahome smirked. The two jumped into a fierce staring contest that would have possibly lasted a full 10 minutes non-stop if it were to go uninterrupted.  
  
"Can we get back to Sayu now?" Nuriko asked dryly, standing in between the two boys, pushing them apart.  
  
"What happened?" Chichiri asked, helping me get up from where I was lying on the floor.  
  
"I dunno. In mid-sentence I felt so much pain. It was burning me. Then a voice said that something was waiting for me."  
  
"Something's waiting for you? What?" Hotohori questioned.  
  
"I don't know." I responded, "I'm going to go sleep."  
  
"Where? You gave your bed to that damn dog." Tasuki said.  
  
"The floor fang face." I moved off to my room, ignoring Hotohori as he said he could give me another room.  
  
~~~PREVIEW: In a way, I had what one would call blood lust. That need to hurt made me what to cry sometimes because I felt like such a monster, but if there was one thing I definitely didn't do it was cry. 


	3. Tasuki

Ok, so this is to my (nonexistent) readers: If you are trying to figure out who the hell Kirei is, and when does she pop into the fit, then you have a while to wait. Let's just say her name isn't even mentioned in the fic until chapter 12 I believe. Anyway, please please please, if you're reading this and not reviewing please do review, but not reviewing is just bitchy! This is my first fic out of the 4 others I've done that I've posted 3 whole chapters without getting ONE review. This is freaking sad! Don't make me beg people!  
  
Disclaimer: I got the flu, and can't think, so if u want a funny disclaimer, wait for next week  
  
"Wake up." The cool length of a tongue rolled down my cheek, "Lazy ass, get up." Naru insulted, still licking me.  
  
"I'm up, already!" I groaned.  
  
"Finally. I have to tell you something..." The dog straightened up in triumph.  
  
"I wanna go to sleep!" I whined, crawling to the bed, and flopping down.  
  
"Oi, Sayu, breakfast." I heard Tasuki yell as he, as always, barged in my room.  
  
"Sleep." I murmured.  
  
" You slept all night woman, get up."  
  
"Too tired to yell at you." I turned my face into my pillow.  
  
"Don't be lazy, get up!" Naru yelled at me.  
  
"Why is everyone so mean to me? There is no love in this room." I whined, pulling the sheet over my head.  
  
"You get up, or I get you up." Tasuki said.  
  
"Fuck you." I retorted. For a second everything was silent and nothing happened; then out of nowhere Tasuki picked me up, and flung me over his shoulder. "The hell are you doing!!!" I yelled, now fully awake.  
  
"Taking you to breakfast. We can't eat till you get there, damn it, and I'm starvin!" We spent the walk to breakfast arguing and cursing each other out. "Sayu's here." Tasuki burst into the room with me on his shoulder, and promptly dumped me onto my butt once inside.  
  
"Jackass." I growl, patting my sore ass.  
  
"Whatever, now we can eat." He sat down happily. Everyone else just stared at me, and then him, and then back again.  
  
"Um... Sayu." Nuriko said.  
  
"Yeah?" I said, not turning my face from Tasuki, whom I was busy glaring at.  
  
"Did you bath last night, or even change?"  
  
"I washed off my face, but that was it, why?"  
  
"You're still covered in blood."  
  
"Oh my Gods." My eyes widened, and for the first time I realized that I could feel the blooded caked in my hair, and on my clothes.  
  
"Tried to tell ya." Naru said, as he walked in the room.  
  
"Hehe, didn't even notice." Tasuki blushed, shrugging.  
  
"I'll be back later." I ran off to shower off the blood. I cringed as I watched the pink tinted water flow off of my body. I hated blood. It was evil to get off, and it made me feel like a mad woman to have it all over me. So I slaughtered a few people. No wait, I didn't slaughter them. I just helped rid society of horrible people, and got messy in the process. Yes, that's it. I shook my head at my pathetic attempts at relieving my guilt. I wasn't supposed to feel guilty, but it's hard not to when you can remember the feel of driving a long smooth blade through someone's gut. In a way I had what one would call blood lust. That need to hurt made me what to cry sometimes because I felt like such a monster, but if there was one thing I definitely didn't do it was cry.  
  
I spent a good hour scrubbing my body, washing my clothes, and working on my poor hair. I put on a robe, and sat out in the sun, drying my hair, while my clothes hung on a tree, drying also. My golden hair reached mid- back, and would take forever to dry, but if I left it in a ponytail then it would take even longer to dry. I pushed a hand through my now clean hair, and smiled at its healthy sheen, definitely one of those love-my-hair days. I closed my eyes for a while, feeling the wind blow onto me, cooling my body. With the wind came a scent. I don't know what it was about the smell, but it was so... amazing. It made me feel strangely warm. My face flushed, and my hands got a bit clammy. Someone was watching me. My eyes shot open to see Tasuki standing a few feet in front of me. We stayed like that for a while, staring at each other with wide eyes. Soon he mumbled something about food, and me missing breakfast, and then he walked away. I didn't even remember food. I had been a bit hungry, but after seeing Tasuki, strangely, I wasn't that hungry anymore, well at least not for food. God, what the hell is wrong with me?  
  
~~~PREVIEW!!!!: "Go out, and have fun. Staying here will drive you crazy." Korin got up to leave, "I'll call Tasuki to go with you." Before I could protest Korin was already gone. Great. Just great. 


	4. Why me?

OMG I LOVE NYAN NYAN, MY ONLY REVIWER AND MY LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BTW, u need to update ur fic!!!!!! (If anyone here is not Nyan Nyan, listen up! Go read her fic cuz it's super duper good!)  
  
Disclaimer: Do I look like I own anything?  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
I walked into the dinning hall for lunch, and everyone was sitting already. However, instead of chatting with each other, they sat quietly. "Who died?" I asked.  
  
"Huh?" Tasuki said confused.  
  
"Idiot." I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Listen woman..."  
  
"What is with you, and calling me woman?!?! I have a name ya know!"  
  
"Quit it you two. Both of you are so annoying." Nuriko said frustrated.  
  
"Say that again, gay-boy!" Tasuki and I chorused.  
  
"Enough!" Korin exclaimed, "This shouting is making me lose my appetite!" Korin, being pregnant and hungry, was already half way through the whole expanse of lunch.  
  
"She's almost as bad as Miaka." Tamahome said sweat dropping.  
  
"Almost, no da." Chichiri agreed, sweat dropping as well.  
  
"Miaka. That's the girl from the other world, right? The one who saved this country?" I questioned.  
  
"Yes. She was our Suzako no Miko." Chiriko said proudly.  
  
"Think I met her once, but when I met her she was barely 5. She was really cute. Does she still do the bun things with her hair?" I asked, munching on some food. When no one answered my question I looked up to see everyone staring at me like they'd never seen me before. "What?"  
  
"How did you meet her?" Tamahome asked.  
  
"My sister had to baby sit this ditzy girl once, and I was bored, so she invited me along. Turns out she was babysitting Miaka, and this girl named Yui. Kinda creepy how Miaka turned out to be your miko. She doesn't seem like miko material."  
  
"You... you're from the other world, no da?" Chichiri said.  
  
"..." I didn't mean to tell them all that. I didn't mean to give them insight to my past. Damn it, damn it, damn it.  
  
"You are, aren't you?" Hotohori said quietly, deep in thought.  
  
"Sort of... So what if I am?" I retorted.  
  
"How did you get here? In our world?"  
  
"The hell if I know."  
  
"You better not hold back information!" Tasuki threatened.  
  
"I'm not fang boy. I really don't know." I glared at him.  
  
"Sure." He snorted.  
  
"Why won't anyone let me hurt him?" I whined.  
  
"You couldn't lay a finger on me if you wanted to." He smirked.  
  
"Please let me hurt him, just a little maiming. It won't be permanent." I continued to whine.  
  
"Emperor!" A guard burst into the dinning hall.  
  
"Yes?" Hotohori answered.  
  
"Nakago, emperor of Kotou (A/N: sp?), has asked for a meeting with you as soon as possible. He asks that the seishe attend as well."  
  
"Hotohori, it sounds urgent you must go." Korin said as she watched Hotohori's body tense. Anyone could see how much he didn't want to go. The hatred in everyone's eyes was shocking. How could anyone hate anyone that much? However, Tamahome didn't seem as hateful. He seemed more... weary. (A/N: This is not part of the story. I will not in anyway play on his relations with Nakago. The only reason why he doesn't hate the bastard is because he saw Nakago's childhood, and pities him.)  
  
"We will leave first thing in the morning. Sayu and Tasuki please stay behind to guard the palace and Korin." Hotohori nodded decisively.  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!" Tasuki, Korin, and I yelled together.  
  
"Why do I have to stay back?"  
  
"Why do I have to stay with her?"  
  
"Why can't I go too?"  
  
"Because I said so," Hotohori said in a tone that meant that the discussion was over and done. I was stuck with fang face. Why me?  
  
"You've been sitting around all day." Korin sat next to me on a bench in the royal gardens, and watched as Naru ran around.  
  
"Nothing else to do." I shrugged.  
  
"Go out. Go to the market and shop. It's what we females do best." Korin nudged me softly with her elbow.  
  
"Not this female. I wear what's comfy, not what is in style. I wouldn't know what would go well with what."  
  
"Oh, you need to have some fun. You've been cooped up here forever." The empress insisted.  
  
"You should!" Naru walked up to me, and placed his head in my lap.  
  
"No I can't go." I whispered to Naru.  
  
"What?" Korin asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"No, you said something."  
  
"I said it to Naru."  
  
"You talk to him. That's cute. I didn't find you to be much of a cute person before now actually."  
  
"I'm not being cute! I'm not cute, I'm a warrior." I said angrily.  
  
"You talk to animals, and that's cute. I've seen you with Hime."  
  
"I have to ability to talk to animals, so I actually hear their responses. I'm not just talking to myself."  
  
"Really?" Korin's eyes widened in excitement, "That's great! Why didn't you say anything before?"  
  
"It's not that big of a deal."  
  
"Not that big of a deal! Too modest."  
  
"No one has ever called me modest." I laughed lightly.  
  
"You are." Naru said, licking my hand.  
  
"Go out, and have fun. Staying here will drive you crazy." Korin got up to leave, "I'll call Tasuki to go with you." Before I could protest Korin was already gone. Great. Just great.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Oi. Where do you wanna go?" Tasuki asked as we walked down the street.  
  
"I didn't even want to leave the palace, how am I to know where to go?" I said dryly.  
  
"I'm only out here because Korin said I had to." Tasuki grumbled.  
  
"You are such a baby." I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are to!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are to!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Forget it." I laughed. It was no use. We could go on forever. We continued to walk until something caught my eye. I grabbed Tasuki's hand and dragged him over to the booth. "How much is the necklace?" I asked the woman there. The chain of the necklace was made of silver, and had an amber stone shaped into what someone would probably say is a raindrop, but for some reason to me it looked a lot like a teardrop. Sure some would argue that it didn't matter which one it was, but when I looked at the small stone there was a hint of sadness, and yet a hint of blazing anger too. I just knew it was a teardrop; there was no doubt in me. I wanted it so much. No, I needed it, and I couldn't help but clutch at the small necklace like a lifeline. The woman named the price, and my smile slide down into a frown. It was too expensive. For a second I just stood there cupping the necklace in my hand, but I finally put it back onto the tabletop of the booth, and whispered, "Ok." I turned to leave the booth, but was pulled back by Tasuki's hand, which I was still holding. I tried to let go, but he wouldn't loosen his grip.  
  
"Tasuki let..." My words died in my mouth as I saw him put money in the woman's hand. He turned around, and handed me the necklace. He dropped my hand, and proceeded to walk back to the palace. I walked behind him numbly, my face a bright red. I slipped on the necklace, and realized how much the amber reminded me of Tasuki's eyes. Is that possibly why I bought it? Because it reminded me of him? I looked up and watched him walk for a moment, "Thanks." I murmured.  
  
"What?" He asked, looking over his shoulder  
  
"Um... Thanks" I said louder.  
  
"Doesn't matter."  
  
"It does. It was nice of you."  
  
"Women... you do something nice for them, and they're in love." He shook his head.  
  
"Is it possible for you to stop being an ass?"  
  
"So ungrateful too."  
  
"Stupid male." I smacked him upside the head, and jogged off to the palace. I turned my head to see where he was, and he was right behind me smirking. I increased my pace, and soon we ran through the palace gates, and ran through the halls. I reached my favorite place in the palace, as you've probably been able to tell by now, the garden. Suddenly I felt Tasuki's body slam into mine as he lunged on me. We toppled to the ground, rolling. Finally we stopped moving, Tasuki lying on top of me. I couldn't stop laughing.  
  
"You should laugh more." Tasuki said, his golden eyes blazed, and my hand instinctively went for my new necklace. My laughter died in my throat as I looked into his eyes, and realized how similar they were to the amber in my necklace. I could feel heat rush up my neck.  
  
"I really do appreciate you paying for this." I said barely audible.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome." He smirked, running a hand through his red hair. I was extremely tempted to follow his hand with my hands. I shook my head to clear the thought. I took a deep breath trying to steady my racing heart, but the deep breaths didn't seem to help. Was it just me or was his face coming closer? Was it just me, or was my face getting redder?  
  
"Am I interrupting something?" I turned my face to see Korin smiling widely at us.  
  
"What? No, no!" We both said, pushing away from each other.  
  
"She hit me, so I chased her down. The woman couldn't get her hands off of me." Tasuki said.  
  
"OH, YOU LITTLE!" My eyes lit up in anger.  
  
"Dinner time!" Korin pulled me away just before I could injure him. I hate him so much!  
  
PREVIEW: "You are the person I have chosen to go." 


	5. I don't understand

Ok, here I am again, trying my best to get some goddamn reviews!!! Come on ppl, gimmie a chance! Read it; fall in love with it, and then review! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: u know the drill!  
  
"It's good to be home, no da?" Chichiri said walking into the dinning hall, followed by the other seishe.  
  
"Welcome back!" I grinned. I was so happy to have someone to talk to besides Korin and Tasuki. Korin was nice, but she kept trying to get Tasuki and me together. She said she was sure she saw sparks flying between us the other day. I informed her that what she saw was the sparks from the friction Tasuki made while shoving his foot in his mouth.  
  
"You look cheerful. Did we miss anything?" Chiriko asked, reaching for some breakfast.  
  
"Nothing." I sighed, "It was so boring. I was stuck here with him." I jerked my thumb at Tasuki.  
  
"It wasn't fun for me either." Tasuki retorted.  
  
"OHHHHH HOW PRETTY!!!!!" Nuriko jumped out of his seat, and ran to me. He gazed down at my chest, smiling widely.  
  
"Wow, I never knew you had a thing for breasts Nuriko." I said cocking one eyebrow. All the males turned red, while Korin laughed, and Nuriko looked at me dryly.  
  
"Very funny, but I was talking about the necklace." He poked at the amber.  
  
"Thanks. I got it yesterday." I slipped the necklace into my shirt, where it should have been in the first place.  
  
"YOU didn't get it. I did. Women always want the guy to pay, and since I was forced into accompanying her, I HAD to get it for her." Tasuki said smirking at all the guys.  
  
"That's a god damn lie!" I said angrily.  
  
"Suuuure it is. You know I only did it because you had to drag me along."  
  
"Whatever." I got up, and stormed out. He didn't HAVE to buy anything. It's not like I even asked him to tag along. He did need to do anything. That absolute ass. Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. Why am I so angry? This is normal Tasuki behavior. So why do I feel so hurt that he said he was forced into buying the necklace instead of buying it on his own free will? Does it matter? Yes... it does, but why? I sighed, and walked to my room. I was going to go in, but it seemed too lonely all of a sudden, so I stayed outside, sitting on the railing, and staring off into space.  
  
"Are you ok?" Hime asked, walking along the railing.  
  
"Sure." I answered.  
  
"You're lying." He purred worriedly.  
  
"And?" I asked dryly.  
  
"You're hurt; on the inside. Mitsukake cannot fix that. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's not you fault."  
  
"I guess you really can talk to animals." Someone said from behind me. I jumped off the railing and into a fighting stance, but it was only Korin.  
  
"Yeah, I can." I straightened. I was so out of it. If it had been an enemy...  
  
"Come. Hotohori is going to tell us of his meeting with Nakago. Later you will tell me why you got so angry at Tasuki." Korin winked at me, and walked off.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When we arrived Hotohori was seated quietly in his throne. Tasuki leaned against the wall. I sent him a minor glare, and he looked at me in confusion. Stupid bastard.  
  
"We're here, so let's get this over with." I said, and sat Indian style on the cold marble floor. Korin went to sit in the throne next to Hotohori's. "What happened?"  
  
"Nakago is having some troubles in Kotou. As you probably know, he has only been emperor for the past couple of months. He has been trying to re-build his army, but he simply doesn't have enough skilled men to be officers. He has a lot of soldiers, but no one trained well enough to lead them. He has asked me for my assistance." Hotohori explained.  
  
"That's it? That is what was so urgent?" I said.  
  
"He said that he thought it would be best if he said it was urgent. That way we'd be able to meet earlier." Hotohori said calmly, but you could clearly see the anger burning in his eyes.  
  
"We're not going to help that Bastard are we?" Tasuki asked, no longer leaning against the wall, but standing straight; looking just as angry as Hotohori.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. We have a treaty now, and I would hate for a request this small to break that." Hotohori sighed.  
  
"God damn it!" I cursed quietly.  
  
"Sayu..."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You are the person I have chosen to go."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You know you heard him, so don't play dumb." Tasuki snorted.  
  
"Screw you! Can't you just shut up for a second!" I growled, and turned to glare at him. He looked like he was going to retort something, but the words seemed to die in his mouth, and he looked away.  
  
"Sayu," Hotohori brought my attention back to him, "I'm sorry but I can't send the seishe. They are here to protect the palace, and since you're not seishe..."  
  
"I understand." I nodded, "May I go?"  
  
"Yes you may."  
  
I slowly got up, and made my way for the door. Kotou. Why the hell am I going there away from these people, and towards a man that tried to take over not only this world, but also Miaka's world? Of course no one remembered it except the seishi, but that was because of Miaka's wish. If Taiitsukun hadn't shown me on her mirror I wouldn't have known. How the hell am I going to live with this guy?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I was walking around the palace, looking for Naru so I could tell him the horrible news when my sight disappeared. All I could see was black. It was an empty space of black. I felt around me, but I didn't feel any walls. I didn't feel anything. It was all empty space. My heart raced as I thought of my possibilities of surviving in this void. Would anyone hear me if I scream? Would anyone be able to find me? Would anyone even care? My body felt cold and numb as I started to shake violently. This can't be the end! I have a destiny, a prophecy to fulfill. I can't end like this! No! I got scared and ran and ran and ran. Nothing. I stopped moving, not understanding what was happening. Out of nowhere I heard a faint voice. I moved towards it, but it didn't get any louder. I moved faster till I was going at a good pace, but it still wasn't getting louder. There was no sign that I was getting any closer to it. I had to get to it! I had to get out of this place!  
  
"I can't hear you." I heard my voice squeak, "Louder, please. Say it louder." I begged, half jogging to the sound. But the sound remained quiet, a hush that whispered things in the dark. Whispered to you trying to entrance you. Seeing if it can convince you to do it's bidding. Telling you to hurt someone, telling you to kill someone, telling you... to kill yourself. Those sweet whispering that tell you the joys of death; of the peacefulness it brings. Tempting you to the very edge.  
  
I shut my eyes tightly, knowing that whatever those sounds were, they wouldn't intimidate me. The sound was the way out! I didn't care if I had to go through hell to get to the voice; to this exit, but damnit I'd get out of here! However, even as my courage raged inside my head, my heart was weak and scared. What was supposed to be a demand came out as a soft call for help, "I don't understand, say it louder." I had broken into a light run. Stretching my hands forward searching the empty space for an opening... for something... for anything!  
  
"HELP ME! PLEASE! LOUDER! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" I yelled, now sprinting into the never ending void of darkness. I was so afraid. I felt the courage I had built up inside me vanishing, and vanishing quickly. Where was I? How was I going to get home when I didn't understand? Why can't it just say it louder? It needs to speak louder, louder! "LOUDER!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"CHOOSE, KIREI! YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE! EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON YOU! IF ALL GOES WRONG THE BLAME IS YOURS ALONE!" The voice screeched at me. The sound stung my ears, and I ran into something like a wall. I fell down into the darkness, screaming for help, and struggling as something was smothering me, pushing me down into the darkness. I wasn't sure If I was falling, or if I was being pulled down into the void, but either way my body filled with fear, filled with fear that this pit of darkness ended, and I was falling to my doom, but even worse was the thought that the fall didn't end, that forever I would be kept in this eternal darkness.  
  
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" I yelled over and over, shutting my eyes tight. I kept struggling, and pushing until I felt a breeze blow, and all of a sudden the falling feeling was gone. The feeling of impending doom was gone. I stopped struggling, and opened my eyes. Straddling my waist; holding my hands down was Nuriko. "What... What the fuck ... just happened?" I said, totally out of breath.  
  
"You tell us." Nuriko moved away from me. I propped myself off of the floor with my elbow, and saw the whole gang staring at me, wide eyed. I looked around and noticed that I was in the gardens, beside the lake. In fact, my pants legs, from the knee down, were wet.  
  
"I'm tired." I stated, pathetically trying to stand on my own, when my legs wouldn't allow it.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tasuki moved to my side, holding my up because without his to help me my body would have slid to the floor. The annoyance of needing any help was flashing in my eyes.  
  
"Get off!" I pulled away from him, falling into a heap on the floor.  
  
"Get up on your own then." Tasuki snorted, folding his arms.  
  
"I know you're not one to ask for help, but you can't stand on your own Sayu. Let him help you to your room so you can rest. Then when you've got the energy, can you tell us what happened?" Korin said gently, as if trying to sooth a kid.  
  
"Fine." I said. If I had energy I would've argued, and said I'm a grown woman, and I can get my damn self up by myself, but that was a lie. I needed help, and if I cling to my pride I'll be stuck out here, unable to walk, for hours. Tasuki offered me his hand, with his usual smirk in place, and I took it. He put his arm around me, so that he could support a good deal of my weight, and we went wobbling off towards my room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Thanks." I mumbled, as he sat me down on my bed.  
  
"No problem." Tasuki went to leave, but then stopped.  
  
"What?" I questioned.  
  
"Why were you so angry earlier?" He inquired, turning around.  
  
"I'm always angry." I said dryly.  
  
"You were more bitchy then you usually are." He smiled awkwardly, a fang poking out from behind his lips.  
  
"I am not bitchy." I retorted.  
  
"You just said you were!"  
  
"I said I was angry; not bitchy."  
  
"You were BOTH today."  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Was to!"  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Was to!"  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Was to!"  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Forget it. Fell better, or whatever." Tasuki said frustrated. He was moving through the door, when I finally got the courage to say something. "What?" He asked, poking his head back in.  
  
"I didn't make you buy me the necklace." I said, barely audible.  
  
"Is that all?" Tasuki started to scratch his thick red hair. "Then I'm sorry. Better?"  
  
"No. Not better." I scowled at him.  
  
"Whaddaya want then? It's not like I hurt ya or anything. It's just a stupid necklace."  
  
"Fuck you." I spat out. Just a stupid necklace! How dare he!  
  
"Women, I can never understand them!" He threw up his hands angrily.  
  
"You are such a prick." I stood, trying to move towards him so I could throttle him, but my legs failed me again, and soon after I fell.  
  
"Damn it." I heard Tasuki curse as he came to my rescue. As his hands touched me, I slapped them away. "You can't stand on your own!"  
  
"I don't need your freaking help! I'll stand on my own; I don't care if it takes me all god damn day!"  
  
"Why can't I help you?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Because I don't like it. I don't like being this weak. I don't like being this vulnerable. I hate it! I HATE IT!"I pounded the floor with my fist.  
  
"Calm down, will ya?" He grabbed my fist before I could hit the ground again.  
  
"I can't. I don't like feeling this way."  
  
"No one does, but everyone needs help at some time. Plus, if ya get better now then you won't need me to pick ya up all the time." He smirked. I smiled at him a little, and let him help me onto my bed again. How had I just gone from being pissed at him to smiling at him? When the hell did this all happen? Tasuki left without saying anything else, and for some reason I couldn't help but feel the need to tell him to come back. I... I don't understand.  
  
Preview: My fists clenched, and I blinked rapidly, trying to stop tears from pouring down my cheek. "Give him back." I said through clenched teeth. 


	6. Jino

OMG, I'M BACK! I apologize SOOOO much for taking forever to update. My computer broke, and then I had to go to my bro's graduation for the weekend, and so now FINALLY I'm home, and my computer is working again! WOOT! Anyhoo, I'm so happy to be updating again! I never realize how much my computer means to me until it breaks.  
  
Disclaimer: These characters may not be mine, but this BEAUTIFUL amazing (WORKING!) computer is mine! (BTW- Sayu and Naru are mine too)  
  
~~~~  
  
"Hey everyone!" I smiled weakly as I stood in front of the large table in the dinning hall.  
  
"Feeling better I see!" Korin beamed a smile at me.  
  
"Yes I am."  
  
"Then you can tell us what happened!"  
  
"Now?" My weak smile dropped completely. I wasn't even in the room for a full minute before they asked what had happened. I guess my well-being wasn't as important as my vision. Plus, I was more trying to forget the all too realistic vision than re-tell it.  
  
"Of course Sayu. When else?"  
  
"We have waited all day to hear, spit it out!" Tamahome insisted.  
  
"It is time you told us, no da?" Chichiri agreed.  
  
'So, this is peer pressure' I thought wryly. They didn't even care about how I was feeling, only about the stupid vision. I let out a long sigh, and began.  
  
"Well, I was looking for Naru when... wait, where's Naru?!?!"  
  
"Haven't seen him anywhere. Strange dog. I suppose he'll be back soon." Nuriko sipped his soup.  
  
"He wouldn't just leave like that. Not him!" I closed my eyes, concentrating on him, searching the palace, trying to sense him.  
  
"What the hell is that woman doing?" Tasuki asked.  
  
"She's searching for Naru. She has quite a bit of power, no da?" Chichiri informed.  
  
"He's escaped." I heard Naru's voice resonate in my head.  
  
"Who?" I whispered.  
  
"The gang leader. More of his gang will come for you. Will come for us... soon. I will see if I can follow his scent." Naru said.  
  
"Shit."  
  
"What?" Hotohori asked, watching me carefully.  
  
"The gang leader that you put in the dungeon. He escaped."  
  
"While you were sleeping. How did you know?"  
  
"He escaped, and you don't care?" I asked, scowling at the emperor.  
  
"We have our soldiers searching all of Konan for him and his gang. I thought you had gotten all of them, but apparently, his gang was bigger then we had thought. Sometime last night Jino, the leader, was broken out of the prison by some men."  
  
"Damn. I have to find them before they find me."  
  
"But how did you know he escaped? Was it Naru?" Chiriko inquired.  
  
"Does it matter? This guy is going to come after me! I killed half his crew, badly hurt the other half, and threatened to... doesn't matter what I threatened. He's going to come."  
  
"I wanna know what you threatened to do to 'im!" Tasuki grinned.  
  
"It was great, I threatened to..." I smiled widely remembering the look on the leaders face.  
  
"WHO CARES!" Tamahome interrupted.  
  
"BAKA!" Nuriko slapped Tamahome to get him to shut up, of course Tamahome ended up flying threw the wall and into the next room. "Oops... well anyway, tell us what you threatened already!" Nuriko said, ignoring the angry Tamahome who was glaring at him.  
  
"Naru!" My head snapped up, "No..."  
  
"What? What happened?"  
  
"I have to go to him."  
  
"Wait!" Tasuki grabbed my arm just as I teleported.  
  
We landed in the same clearing I had fought the gang in initially. While I landed on my feet, Tasuki landed on his face. He wasn't used to teleporting. I couldn't blame him. I was horrible at it too when I first started. The grass was a beautiful green. The blood had been washed away when it had rained last week. The clearing looked peaceful and innocent. What a lie if there ever was one!  
  
"Where the hell are we?" Tasuki asked getting up.  
  
"The clearing where I fought the gang."  
  
"Correction: where you slaughtered my men." Jino's voice said out of nowhere.  
  
"I'm not sure I like your choice of words." I said. Now Tasuki and I were standing back to back, looking around for any sign of the gang.  
  
"How about murdered, or massacred?"  
  
"Nope, still don't like it."  
  
"Too fucking bad, bitch!"  
  
"Shut your hole!" Tasuki yelled. I almost smiled at the fact that he stood up for me.  
  
"Come out and fight, Coward!" I growled.  
  
"You didn't even ask where your precious dog was." The voice went from serious to teasing.  
  
"Naru... You have him again." My voice softened.  
  
"But of course."  
  
"No. You're lying! I don't believe you!" I screamed even though I knew it was true. I knew they had him, there was no doubt in my mind, but it hurt so much to think of my dog, my familiar, my friend, dying.  
  
"Sa... Sa... Sayu." Naru's voice said weakly.  
  
"Naru." My fists clenched, and I blinked rapidly, trying to stop tears from pouring down my cheek. "Give him back." I said through clenched teeth.  
  
"It's ok Sayu. They're bluffing. They have shit." Tasuki told me with a confident grin.  
  
"No Tasuki. They have him. They really do."  
  
"How do you..."  
  
"Trust me. Tasuki we have to save Naru. I don't care how, but we do."  
  
"Hai." Tasuki responded solemnly.  
  
"Go." Jino, the leader said simply, and out rushed around 20 people. They circled around Tasuki and I.  
  
"Shit." Tasuki swore.  
  
"Double shit." I agreed.  
  
All at once, in what looked like a practiced maneuver, the whole circle of gangsters came at us. Before I even realized it I had killed one man, blocked another, gotten a cut, and was midway from kicking the gangster that cut me. All this before I could even think. I had killed 4, and knocked down 3. Tasuki had knocked out 6, but had killed none.  
  
"Care to help?" I yelled at him  
  
"What do you think I'm doing!?!?!?" He yelled back  
  
"YOU'RE DOING NOTHING! USE THAT FANCY FAN OF YOURS!"  
  
"No, it would kill them."  
  
"And that would be bad because?"  
  
"I can't, ok. I don't know why the fuck you do, but I can't. They don't deserve death."  
  
"Everyone deserves death at one time or the other," I kicked down the last person, "I just like to speed up the process."  
  
"That's crap."  
  
"That's how I do things." I turned to look him in the eyes.  
  
"Maybe you're not doing things the way you should be." Tasuki said equaling me in his anger.  
  
"And maybe you just don't get it!" I pushed him, and he went stumbling backwards. Suddenly, a man's arm popped out of the bushes, and snaked around my neck, his other hand held a knife.  
  
"SAYU!" Tasuki yelled, moving towards me in order to help.  
  
"Move closer and I slit her throat." The man said. I could tell by his voice it was Jino. Immediately Tasuki stopped moving. "mmm... Sayu. My how the tables have turned."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"So feisty, it's quite amusing." He pushed his grimy face into my hair, and inhaled loudly.  
  
"Pig." I muttered. The blade of the knife pressed into my skin more.  
  
"If you so much as inhale too deeply this knife will cut through your throat."  
  
"What do you want? Do you still want me to kill someone for you?"  
  
"No. That offer is long gone."  
  
"So what the hell do you want?" Tasuki ground out, clearly trying to repress his anger.  
  
"Do you remember the last time we were here?" He breathed into my ear, "You threatened to cut my manhood off..."  
  
"Fuck! That's what you threatened to do! That's horrible!" Tasuki looked at me shocked.  
  
"Not helping." I snarled at him.  
  
"See, even your little boyfriend agrees with me. You tried to make me half a man, now I think it's my turn to make you half a woman. How you would feel with only half of your chest?" The knife traveled from my neck down the side of my body to rest on the side of my breast. "What do you say to that?"  
  
"Tasuki's not my boyfriend."  
  
"Bitch do you think I'm playing around?!?!?!" He pushed the knife so that it broke the skin. I inhaled quickly, but didn't cry out at the sharp pain.  
  
"Stop. STOP!" Tasuki began to walk towards us again.  
  
"Tasuki, don't." I gasped out, trying to suppress tears. Blood was seeping onto my clothing. Nothing big had even happened it. All I had was a cut. By now it was a kind deep cut, but in the end all it was was a cut. I'd need stitches though. 'Help us. We're in the clearing.' I used my mind to tell Chichiri. 'Hurry. And send someone to find Naru. Now.'  
  
"You bastard. You won't leave here alive." Tasuki clenched and unclenched his fists.  
  
"Don't lie. You know you can't kill me. I heard you talking to her. You don't kill people, soft hearted fool." Jino laughed, "Let's say we get this over with Sayu, ne?" he withdrew the knife, and made to shove it back in. I squeezed my eyes shut, concentrated on my breathing, and faintly heard Tasuki yell, "No!" Here comes the pain. I waited for it, brave, and standing tall. I would not cry. I would not yell out. I would hold my head up, and I would live through it. As I stood there waiting, nothing happened. I chanced opening an eye, and then another. I felt Jino's arm slide away from my body limply. I turned around quickly to see Nuriko flexing his muscles triumphantly, the leader lying still on the floor, and Mitsukake carrying a motionless Naru.  
  
"Is he okay?" I ran over to him.  
  
"They beat him up till they believed he was dead, but he's still alive. His pulse is faint, but it's there. We must get inside quickly so I can help him."  
  
"Of course." I began to rush off, but Tasuki grabbed my hand. Mitsukake continued without me.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"You're bleeding remember?" He poked at the cut a little.  
  
"Number one, OUCH! Number two, you just poked my boob." I slapped him, "Perv."  
  
"Ungrateful female..." I heard him say as I stalked off holding his cheek. The idiot! In the background I could hear the distinct laughter of Nuriko and Tamahome. I could hear Tasuki cussing them off. If I weren't so angry with him, I'd probably join him cussing them. It wasn't that funny. That thought made me hesitate for a second. How is it that I can dislike him so much, and yet still manage to side with him on certain issues, like when we both called Nuriko Gay-boy. How is it that we're somewhat, dare I say it, alike, and yet we get on each other nerves? He obviously hates women, and I don't think very highly on guys. He... he did buy me that necklace... I shook the thoughts out of my head, and sped up my walking, wishing that I could just teleport, but knowing that I didn't have the strength for it.  
  
By the time I reached Naru he had already been healed, and was being rested in my bed once again. My head was pounding, and things started to get a little dizzy because of my blood loss. Mitsukake asked if I was ok, and said that he'd have to get some bandages for me because he wouldn't be able to heal me until tomorrow. I nodded as I watched him leave the room in search of bandages. Not long after, Korin rushed in the room.  
  
"Are you ok? I heard you got hurt! I also saw Tasuki's cheek it's all red! Why can't you two get along? Shouldn't you sit? You look tired." She said, while at the same time checking my forehead, for a fever I guess, wagging her finger in my face, and finally tentatively touching some of my shirt that had blood drying on it. When I looked down at the blood I realized that the cut must have been deeper than I thought. There was more blood then there should have been.  
  
"You should sit." Korin said frowning at me. I nodded, but nodding only served to make the world spin. I kept myself from vomiting on the spot by sheer will alone. I staggered to a chair with Korin helping me, but before I could reach it, my legs buckled, and I slid to the ground as my vision blacked out.  
  
PREVIEW: "Not as beautiful as you." Immediately my heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest, my mouth went dry, and my hands started to shake. What the hell did he just say? I turned my shocked face to him, and tried to stop from fainting. 


	7. I'm not a demon

I got a review a couple of days ago... yeah... so, if I take forever to update, then I'll get reviews?????? SHEEEEESH! I should never update, and then I'll get millions of reviews!!!! Haha, jk, no one hurt me! The reason why it took me so long to review was cuz I was in New York, woot! Anyway, I'm glad I have one more fan cuz I think this is a great fic. . SO, read, review, and please don't forget to enjoy! See ya! (BTW, I'm updating ALL the other fics over the next week cuz I'm going on vacation soon).  
  
DISCLAIMER: Oh kenshin. Oh kenshin! OH KENSHIN! HOW I WISH I COULD OWN YOU!  
  
Random person: Um.... Wrong fic. This is the Fushigi Yuugi fic.  
  
Me: I know, but even so, I don't own Kenshin...  
  
Random Person: It's good to know that you don't own Kenshin, but nobody cares.  
  
Me: Oh... well... I kninda.... Sorta.... Maybe... don't own any of the fushigi yuugi characters... maybe...  
  
Random person: Much better.  
  
I woke up staring at the ceiling. I chanced a look around, and saw that I was in a room I hadn't seen before. It was probably some random guest room in the palace. I moved to rub the sleep out of my eyes, but stopped when caught with a sharp pain. My chest hurt when I moved my upper body. The cut. I closed my eyes trying to remember yesterday. I went through the day's events, which ended with me fainting. I let out a long sigh. "What is with me being so weak lately?" I questioned aloud.  
  
"It obviously pains you to be weak because you are used to being strong, independent, and quick witted. It unnerves you to be so dependent, and lost." I heard Hotohori say. When had he entered? I didn't bother to open my eyes.  
  
"Nice observation, but you didn't answer my question. WHY am I so weak?"  
  
"It's not my place to answer your question, but even if it was I don't know the answer. You're probably the only one who'll be able to answer your question. Anyway, here is your breakfast." His last comment made me laugh, and my eyes flew open so I could look at him.  
  
"The emperor of all of Konan has come to give food to a unworthy weak girl. It almost seems as if you have some interest in me." I teased.  
  
"If I did, Korin would kill me. Although, I would understand if YOU had some interest in ME. After all I am abnormally beautiful." He said it so seriously that I had to laugh again. He honestly believed he was out of this world beautiful. Well, I do have to admit that he is beautiful, just like Korin is gorgeous. However, I'd prefer someone more rugged, more sexy, more... wow, that was way off subject. Getting back to my conversation with Hotohori...  
  
"She wouldn't kill you. Only maim you a little... a lot... yeah maybe she would kill you." It was his turn to laugh. Hotohori helped me prop myself up, and placed the tray on my lap. "How's Naru?"  
  
"He's fine. He's actually sitting outside the door. He's been there for hours. Don't ask me how he knew which room you were in."  
  
"He knows my scent. I'm sure that if I were in any danger he would have found a way in. He might even have attacked you. He's a little protective."  
  
"He hates Tasuki." Hotohori said, drawing up a seat next to the bed.  
  
"Everyone hates Tasuki," I said dryly, taking a bit of food.  
  
"I'll never understand why you two hate each other so much. You're even worse than Tamahome."  
  
"Tamahome doesn't hate Tasuki. I've seen them. They bicker a lot, but that's it."  
  
"Well then, I've got a story for you: When Tamahome and Tasuki had first met, Tamahome had a lot of contempt for Tasuki. When he found out Tasuki couldn't swim he'd hold Tasuki over water until Tasuki begged. It was horrible." I was laughing so hard that I nearly cried. Oh how I wanted to see the look on Tasuki's face.  
  
"You're so mean to Tasuki. Normal people would feel sympathy."  
  
"Finally, someone who understands that I just can't bring myself to be nice to him. Could you please tell your wife that I can't stand him because for some reason I think she's hinting that I like the bastard."  
  
"You do." Hotohori said simply. I nearly choked on tea. I what????  
  
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?!" I screamed when I was through choking.  
  
"Fell free to deny it, but it's the truth. Anyway, if you don't want to talk about that you could always tell me what happened that day that we found you in the garden."  
  
"How can you just change subjects like that?" I questioned, but before he could answer me Tasuki burst into the room.  
  
"Someone yell?" He asked. My cheeks flushed pink as I watched the recently discussed subject walk up to Hotohori and I.  
  
"I knew it. I could see it from a mile away. Nowhere as beautiful as me, but who is." Hotohori commented before standing, and walking off. My brain was putty, and I couldn't think of a single insult to yell at Hotohori as he walked out of my room. Tasuki was still here however, which made my face even redder. What does he want? (A/N: when Hotohori says: "I knew it" he means that he knew Sayu liked Tasuki... He also was saying that Tasuki is no where as beautiful as him... just making sure u understand...)  
  
"You ok? Your face is all red." Tasuki rubbed his chin in thought, while marching his gaze up and down me. I may have been wearing a robe, but I suddenly felt naked. I sunk down into the sheets, and told him I was fine. "What was Hoto's comment about?"  
  
"Doesn't matter."  
  
"Why did you yell?"  
  
"Doesn't matter."  
  
"Woman, be practical and tell me what happened. Everyone is worried."  
  
"What, they thought Hotohori strangled me?" I said, recovering from my embarrassment, and finally getting the normal color of my face back.  
  
"We all heard ya yell."  
  
"So why are you the only one to come?"  
  
"Korin is having the baby, and she's got everyone running around the palace getting this and that. I volunteered to check up on you instead of going for blankets." He smiled widely, proud of himself.  
  
"I can see the worry in your eyes." I commented dryly. Then out of nowhere it hit me, "Did you say Korin was in labor?" I sat straight up, wincing in pain at the movement "I need to go see her!"  
  
"You're too weak." Tasuki stated.  
  
"Shut up." I growled, trying to stand, just to have him push me back into the bed.  
  
"Korin would have my head if I let you go when you need to rest. The woman is scary when in labor. She's scarier than any damn thing I've ever seen."  
  
"Fine. I'll stay," I agreed, knowing that Korin was scary when she was normal, but put her through labor, and she was bound to be lethal. "Why was Hotohori here with me? He has a baby on the way god damnit!"  
  
"He's been pacing back and forth all day. Give him a war an' he's calm, but give him a baby, and he doesn't know what the hell to do with himself. You were a distraction. You helped him get calm." Tasuki smirked.  
  
"Glad to be of service." I mumbled. Suddenly a smile broke out on my face. The most beautiful child ever to be born was being brought into this world. With a father as beautiful as Hotohori, and a mother as devastatingly gorgeous as Korin, this baby was going to be THE single most beautiful person alive. Kinda eerie, but at the same time, amusing.  
  
"What?" Tasuki asked in confusion.  
  
"How beautiful is that baby going to be?" I laughed.  
  
"Not half as beautiful as you." Immediately my heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest, my mouth went dry, and my hands started to shake. What the hell did he just say? I turned my shocked face to him, and tried to stop from fainting. Suddenly he burst into laughter, "GOT YA!" He was cracking up so hard that he held his sides in pain. I could feel anger welling inside me. He did stop laughing when a glass vase made contact with his head. He promptly fell into a deep sleep. (A/N: Just wanted to have fun with u readers, I hope no one's too angry with that little joke....)  
  
"Oops." I giggled.  
  
"Is this a bad time?" I heard a soft voice call from outside.  
  
"Nope! Come in!" I called, now in a cheerful mood.  
  
"Excuse me, but I have been told to come and retrieve your dishes if you are finished eating." A young girl asked. Her face staring down, her brown hair swept into a high bun, and her small frame hidden inside clothes that looked twice as big as she.  
  
"You... you look familiar. Hold your head up." As soon as she lifted her head my smile widened. It was her! It was Yumi. Her brown-grey eyes sparkled with nervousness. "Where've you been kid?"  
  
"I work in the kitchen, so unless you go to the kitchen, you wouldn't see me, Miss."  
  
"My name's Sayu; not Miss. Anyway, why are you here getting dishes? Shouldn't a maid be doing this?"  
  
"Yes, but all the maids are busy with her highness."  
  
"I can imagine." I laughed a bit. Korin may be beautiful, but she still can be a hard ass. I'm sure the people helping her to give birth are not exactly having fun. "Well, I'm not done with my food yet. Would you like to sit and talk for a while?"  
  
"I really should be getting back..."  
  
"So? What's more fun than talking to me?" I teased.  
  
"Um... ok."  
  
"So Yumi, how old are you?"  
  
"17."  
  
"DAMN! You're only a year younger than me. I thought you were 14 or 15."  
  
"Some tell me I look young..."  
  
"You have to quit being so quiet around me. It's not like I'm a million years older than you. We're the same age group here. Now we can gossip, and blah blah blah, and all that stuff." I nodded vigorously.  
  
"What do you want to gossip about?"  
  
"Well, I don't know any gossip. You probably know more about what's up than me, so tell me, what is all the talk about recently."  
  
"Nothing much." She said looking away a bit. She was obviously hiding something. I could feel the edges of my lips fighting to stay up.  
  
"Come on there must be something."  
  
"Not a thing of any interest." She was doing her damnedest to avoid my eyes, and the more she averted her gaze, the more sure I was that the gossip was about me.  
  
"Please tell me." I asked quietly, as if trying not to scare away a small nervous child.  
  
"Well... Some are saying that you... that you are a demon in disguise."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"No one knows what prophecy you're from, and people are suspicious. You're always fainting, or having visions, plus there was that time that you came into the palace covered in blood. You singe-handedly slaughtered a group of men."  
  
"I did not slaughter anyone." My voice was thick with anger. Who did these people think they are judging me like that?  
  
"I shouldn't have said anything." The girl closed up, moving back slightly.  
  
"No, I'm not angry with you. I just don't understand how no one can trust me when I haven't done anything."  
  
"Amiboshi... he seemed to be a friend, but then..."  
  
"I am NOT like him." I glared, but then softened when I saw the girl pull away even more.  
  
"I should go back to the kitchen." Yumi reached for the tray, but I grabbed her wrist, holding it firm, but not squeezing.  
  
"You want to know why I faint all the time, well so do I." I released her suddenly, and she stumbled backwards, "I'm sorry, but I... I don't understand any of this either. You see, Sayu is not my real name. I wasn't even born in this world. I was born in Tokyo. On my fourteenth birthday this white light surrounded me and brought me here, and then baba told me that my new name was Sayuki, and that I had a prophecy to fulfill. She told me that even though the written prophecy was destroyed centuries ago I still had to complete it. I still remember how I felt when she told me. I wanted to throw up. Little old me was supposed to become a warrior whose ambition was to complete some prophecy. I was just a kid trying to deal with my fucked up life. I came from a bad neighborhood, I had bad parents, and I was generally a bad kid. I, the screw up, was supposed to do something great? I didn't believe her, and even now I'm not sure if she has the right girl for the job because I don't know what's supposed to happen, and I don't know what's going on. "  
  
"I never thought you were a bad person, if that helps." Yumi smiled weakly.  
  
"Thanks. Why don't you sit, and tell me about you, since you know all about me." I pointed to the chair beside the bed.  
  
"Oh, I really do have to go." Yumi apologized, now smiling widely, and brightly. I saw a glimpse of beauty hidden within the shy girl. I smiled back at her with a genuine smile of happiness. I had a new friend. A REAL friend!  
  
"Alright. I'll see ya, ok?" I waved as she left. I attempted to stand, since I didn't feel weak, and was happy to see that I could stand and walk without feeling dizzy or faint. Actually, I felt overall healthier. I wasn't feeling sick or tired at all. I felt energized. It was odd. I stretched a bit, and did some practice moves. I felt perfectly fine. I was mid kick when I heard a scream pierce the air. Instantly, I teleported to the source of the sound, and there was Korin surrounded by maids, gripping the hand of a poor girl who was turning all the colors of the rainbow. Her hand would definitely be bruised tomorrow. I pried Korin's hand from the girls, and put my hand in hers instead. She turned her head to look at me, and smiled, but then frowned, and lastly she glared.  
  
"Why the hell are you here?!?!?!" She yelled.  
  
"Cause you're my friend, and the maid was on the verge of losing her hand." I smiled. Korin was about to retort something when she was shook with another contraction, and she let out a scream.  
  
After half an hour of screaming, cursing, and hand squeezing, the baby was finally here. Korin's face was absolutely glowing when she finally got hold of the baby. I'd never seen her so beautiful before.  
  
Hotohori was allowed in the room. He gave me a questioning look that said 'How, and when did you get in here?' He turned to look at Korin and the child, and I was forgotten. I couldn't help but smile at the loving picture of a family in front of me. A sudden flash of my father yelling at me as he chugged down beer played in my head. God was that baby lucky to be born into such a great family. I suppressed tears, and gave a smile before exiting the room. Everyone was outside. They gaped at me as I walked out.  
  
"When did you get in there?" Tamahome asked.  
  
"Half an hour ago."  
  
"You should be resting!" Nuriko complained, smacking my arm.  
  
"Ow!!!!!!!!!!! Nuriko you know your super strong!!!!" I whined, rubbing my arm, but then I stopped because it didn't hurt. As a matter of fact when Korin was squeezing the life out of my hand it didn't hurt either. Bewildered, I looked down at my arm. Everyone gave me a confused look (probably wondering why the hell I was staring at my arm as if I had never seen it before). I quickly teleported to my room, and pulled out the knife I usually kept under my pillow as I slept.  
  
"Is there an enemy?" Naru asked, circling me.  
  
"No." I replied, running the blade over the palm of my hand, watching my blood pool in the center.  
  
"Sayu?" Naru asked.  
  
Everyone bust into the room to find me holding the blooded knife, clutching my hand to my chest.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Mitsukake ran to me, healing the cut as soon as he reached me.  
  
"Why didn't it hurt?" I asked looking at him, lost, and afraid. This wasn't natural. I was supposed to feel pain. Normal people would have felt the sharp pain of the knife going through their flesh, but I didn't. The conversation I had earlier played in my head: 'some are saying that you... that you are a demon in disguise.' What if.... Oh god, what if... No, that was ridiculous.  
  
'I am not a demon! It's the prophecy! It has to be the prophecy!' I thought frantically.  
  
Knowing that I needed to calm down, I cleared my thoughts, and tried to think of when this started happening, but it was hard with everyone surrounding me asking me this and that, and scolding me. "SHUT UP!" I yelled. Everyone quieted, and I finally got a split second to think. Then it came to me. It was when I grabbed her hand, it was her! "Yumi!" I yelled out. I teleported in search of the girl, angered, confused, and hurt. She was supposed to be my friend.  
  
What the hell did she do to me?  
  
PREVIEW: "You're here with us. You're not alone. You don't have to be alone." 


	8. Betrayl

I am sooooooo sorry for taking forever to update! I did not mean to take so long! I wasn't getting many reviews and I'm so overly busy it's crazy! I'll try to update more often as long as anyone reviews.

Shout out to chibichan( ), hehe. If you hadn't reviewed I would never have continued this (which would kinda sux cuz I have the next 5 chapters already typed up…).

Disclaimer: I don't own FY, but I do own Naru, Sayu, and Yumi!

oooOooo

When I teleported into the kitchen it was empty. Or at least it appeared to be empty. I tried to use my powers to sense her, but I was so angry that I couldn't get myself under control to use the power. I was too angry, but I couldn't help it. I could feel my anger pooling inside of me, ready to burst at any moment, and I knew there was no way for me to stop it.

_Where is she?_ I thought angrily as I opened up the cabinets, searching for my prey. I went into the pantry, looked behind the counters, and glanced under all the tables. She wasn't there.

Soon the whole gang was there, asking me question after question as I stubbornly continued to ransack the kitchen. Yumi had to be there somewhere. She just had to be here! "When I find her I will sever her head from her body." I muttered under my breath. Someone heard me and exhaled sharply.

A middle aged woman walked into the kitchen. From the way she was dressed I could tell that she was a servant. I quickly ran to her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Where is Yumi?" I asked roughly. I was so angry that I couldn't stop my rage from showing. This girl had pretended to be my friend, and then she did something to me! What the hell is she? What the hell am I?

"Wh... who?" the woman cringed in pain, but my hold on her arm didn't loosen. I couldn't stop myself. Something inside me was yelling for me to calm down; that I was being irrational. I was so angry for no good reason, and I knew it, but all thatanger was pouring from a source I didn't know I had, and as far as I knew, there was no way to switchit off.

"Yumi! She's 17 year old, but she looks like she's 15. Brown hair. Dresses really modest. Very shy. Works in the kitchen."

"I'm sorry, but there are only adult women working in the kitchen, no teenagers."

"No, no she came to get my tray earlier. I saw here with my own eyes! She came right after I threw the vase at Tasuki." I reasoned angrily.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I don't know any Yumi, and I'm in charge of the kitchen."

"You don't know her? But she works here. She was here the first day I came. Are you sure?" All my anger dissipated. Suddenly I felt stupid. Was I losing my mind? I saw her. I swear I saw her. What was going on? If Yumi wasn't real then what was happening to me? Was I just seeing things that weren't there?

"My hand, can you please let it go. You're hurting me." The woman whimpered.

I dropped her hand immediately, ashamed of my behavior.

"I'm sorry. I'm just confused. She... she was here. She was right over there." I pointed my finger at where I first saw Yumi. "And I saw her just a minute ago. I know I did! I grabbed her hand. She was here." The room looked at me as if doubtful of my sanity.

"What happened?" Tasuki stumbled into the room, his eyes immediately zoning in on me. "You threw a vase at me!"

"Not my fault you're an ass." I grumbled, slowly heading for the door. I needed to think. Nothing was making sense anymore, but on the other hand, when had things ever made sense for me?

"The hell is eating you?" Tasuki followed closely behind me. Everyone else followed behind him.

"She's losing it. She swears she saw a ghost." Tamahome commented quietly.

"She was real, she was here!" I spun around and yelled at him. I could feel my face heating up, and tears pooling in my eyes. Did no one believe me? I took in a shaky breath as I realized that they had no reason to believe me when I wasn't quite sure I believed myself. Even so, it still hurt that they didn't trust me; that they thought I was "losing it."

I calmed myself down before I spoke again. "She told me that people think I'm an enemy. They think I'm a demon. She believed me when I told her I was here to help. She was my friend, and then she... she did something to me."

"What did she do?" Chichiri prompted.

"Nothing." I said pushing my way past everyone, and going to my usual place in the gardens, over looking the pond. Eventually Tasuki came out of the palace and plopped down next to me. I turned and glared at him, but he didn't look at me. He didn't even acknowledge that I was there at all. He just sat looking ahead. I looked at him for a while. His red-orange hair was ruffled, as always, and his golden eyes were intent in concentration. I saw a small pearly white fang poke out from his lips as he made a small smirk. For a brief moment I wondered how it would feel to kiss him with the fangs, I shook my head, and turned away before he could see the blush spreading across my face. After a couple minutes of silence he finally said something, but I had missed it completely. "What?"

"What did the girl do to you?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't!" He protested, "But everyone else does, especially Korin. The only reason she didn't come was because she has to rest."

"So you got forced to come talk to me, is that it? No one wanted to talk to the crazy girl, so they sent you? I don't understand why you're the one who's always forced to talk to poor little me. Why don't they just get a willing victim?"

"I'm willing." He said quietly.

"Oh yeah, real willing. What is it that you wanted again?"

"You should stop being so difficult."

"I am not difficult." Tasuki snortedin response and turned his attention back to the pond.

"So the girl, you didn't say what she did to ya."

"If you really must know, she… well… I don't know. I guess she cured me? Strengthened me? I'm not sure."

"She healed you? So your stab wound is gone?"

"Is it?" I looked down my shirt, and it was gone. I had totally forgotten about that injury. When I looked back up Tasuki was red as a tomato. I couldn't help but laugh. "Never seen a girl look down her shirt?" He looked away indigently, and I pressed on in my teasing. "It's not like I've never seen them before." I said referring to my breasts. Tasuki's face turned redder, and I laughed harder.

"Not funny."

"Yeah it is."

"No it's not."

"Yeah it is."

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes."

"Forget it. At least ya loosened up. You're too uptight. Maybe that's what's makin' you crazy."

"Shut up." I slapped his arm gently. I should have taken offense to him calling my crazy, but strangely enough, I didn't. Sitting there next to him I didn't feel crazy, or angry, or even sad.

"You're seeing people that no one else has." Tasuki said seriously.

"So? It could be part of the prophecy." My smile faded a bit as I felt doubt sit heavily inside my chest. _Suzaku, please tell me it's be the prophecy_.

"What prophecy? No one knows what prophecy you're from."

"And?"

"Tell me bout it. What prophecy are ya from?"

"It's a secret fang face."

"Oh, come on. Just tell me already."

I sighed in annoyance. "I don't know the prophecy. All I know is I'm in it. The scroll that contained the prophecy was destroyed by suzaku-knows-what centuries ago. So, I basically have to figure everything out on my own. I have to do everything alone."

"You're here with us. You're not alone. Ya don't have to be alone." Tasuki's face was slightly pink as he stared intently at the ground.

"I'm not with you. No one here trusts me."

"Korin does."

"And you?"

"I…" Tasuki's words died in his mouth, and he looked at me helplessly. I could feel my eyes watering, and I fought not to cry. Why did it hurt so much?

"I shouldn't have asked that. Look, I'm going to go sleep or something." I quickly turned my head as a tear fell down my cheek. I clutched at my amber necklace and teleported to my room.

oooOooo

"You're crying." Naru said worriedly.

"I've missed you so much. I never spend any time with you anymore." I brushed the stray tear away and scratched him behind his ears, ignoring his comment.

"They moved you to a different room last night, since I took this bed." Naru let the previous subject drop, knowing that I was not going to tell him why I was crying.

"Yeah. You look well." I smiled faintly.

"You do too."

"A bitch, I mean witch, healed me." I smiled at my pitiful joke.

"Who?"

"A girl named Yumi. She was pretending to be my friend, but when I touched her…" My words faded out. I still had no idea how to describe what she did. "Everyone here thinks I'm crazy and dangerous." I flopped ontothe bed.

"I don't think you're crazy... most of the time."

"That's cause I feed and shelter you."

"True." Naru's mouth formed what would be considered a smile (if he were human).

"We leave for Kotou tomorrow, ok?"

"So soon? I thought we hadn't been ordered to go yet."

"We haven't been, but I'd rather not stay here any longer." I closed my eyes tightly, but I couldn't block out the look of suspicion in the eyes of my companions, the uncertainty in Tasuki's voice, the smile of false friendship on Yumi's face.

_I'll be fine soon. The pain will subside when I leave this place and these people behind. Yes, tomorrow I'll leave, and I won't hurt anymore._

ooooooooooOOOoooooooooo

PREVIEW: "You must be tough cruel at timesyet fair. You must gain the respect of the men. They will be inclined to take advantage of the fact that you are of the opposite sex. If you are going to have trouble defending yourself against the wise cracks of the men, be prepared to leave by tomorrow. Your services will not be needed if this is the case..."


	9. Not Welcome

Look, I'm here again after taking a forever long break! WOOT! I'm sure everyone is excited! Hehe…

BTW, what is with the new weird layout? confusion >. 

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**ladysakaya**: I LOVE THE SONG BEHIND BLUE EYES! 

**chibichan**: Awww, thanx for being my faithful reviewer!

**conkhi**: thanx for the awesome review, and I am so excited that u like it so much. I was begining to think that this story was crap...sniff

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Anyway, this is a pretty light hearted chapter, so I hope yal enjoy it! 

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams

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I stopped in front of the large gates of Kotou. Guards were surrounding the entrance, eyeing me with suspicion. For women it was a major no-no to travel alone, but here I was infront of the guard, the lone female traveler. I'm sure it didn't help thatI waswearing pants, boots, anda loose shirt.Even though I did look out of the ordinary the guards had no reason to not let me in, but unfortunately something in the back of my mind told me that these guard weren't going tobe in favorof my entering. 

"What's your name?" A guard called out to me.

"Why do you wanna know?" I asked, already feeling defensive.

"Tell me your name or else you don't get through."

"Oh, I **will** get through." I jumped off of my horse and walked up to him. I found it really amusing that I was taller than the man and couldn't help but smile. I was kinda tall for a female, 5 feet and 7 inches. The man seemed to be only an inch shorter, but it was just short enough for me to feel superior. "Isn't there a standard height to be a guard?"

"One more comment like that, and I will throw you into the dungeon. The other prisoners would be very happy to keep you company." He smiled smugly.

"Why do you want my name?" I asked, slowly getting irritated by the short guard.

"That is none of your business."

"Fine, fine." I sighed. Fighting my way through the gates would probably not amuse Nakago. From what I heard, he was a bastard. "My name is Senshi no Yami Sayuki, but you can call me Sayu." I winked at him. Immediately the color in his face began to drain. I sure did sound important. I bet he was wondering if he fucked with the wrong person. The guard walked over to a boy and whispered something in his ear; soon the boy went running off.

"Can I go in now?" I smiled nicely.

"You must wait until his majesty allows you to enter." The guard answered.

"He didn't have to wait." I jerkeda thumb at a traveler who passed through rather easily.

"You're not him."

"Great answer!" I scowled at him. He returned to his post without another word. _Great, just frickin' great_. I pulled my horse off to the side and sat on the ground. By now everyone in the Konan Palace should be angry as hell with me. I hadn't told anyone I was leaving, but I did leave a letter that said where I was going. I refrained from telling them why I left.

I told Naru to stay so he could protect the palace. If something major happened he was to come get me. I did feel kinda bad for not saying goodbye to Korin. I still don't know the name of the kid. Maybe I should have stayed. Or at least said goodbye.

_Tasuki's probably cursing his ass off_. I smiled at the thought. He was such a baby. Instinctively I ran a finger over the amber pendant around my neck. The stone felt warm against my fingertips. I could almost envision Tasuki announcing to go after me, yelling that woman are so stupid. My smile widened thinking of the golden gaze of his eyes as they twinkle with mischief; the smirk with the fang poking out from kissable lips. I pushed myself off the ground and began to pace, trying to rid my mind of the thought of him. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Senshi no Yami Sayuki?" I stopped pacing and looked at the hooded man in front of me.

"Bout damn time. Can I go in yet?"

"Are you sent from Hotohori, emperor of Konan?"

"That's me." I sighed. I was getting hungry, I was tired, and I was hot. _What's with all the questions, and why can't I just go in yet?_ I thought irritatedly. I could have teleported in long ago, but teleporting with a horse isn't exactly easy, and I couldn't just leave the horse behind to be stolen.

"Follow me." The man instructed. He quickly mounted his horse and waited for me to do the same. _Now I'm finally getting somewhere!_

* * *

"Why couldn't I enter Kotou by myself? I didn't need an escort ok. What? Did you think I'd get lost on my way to the palace? It's pretty damn hard to miss. Kinda big don't you think?" I said, following the man through an expanse of hallways in the palace. For the past half an hour I had been talking to his back as Itrailed behind him. He had yet to even say a word to me. To say I was annoyed would be an understatement. 

Finally, FINALLY, he spoke. "The guards wouldn't let you in because of your appearance. Blue eyed, blonde haired people are rather rare. You raised suspicion. That is why I went to get you. Plus, you were not summoned yet, so your arrival is a surprise to his majesty. Not to mention you're a female traveling alone." He led me into the throne room. It looked even less comfortable than the Konan throne room, which wasn't exactly a place to relax either. This room was the exact opposite of Hotohori's. It was covered in blue. Blue cushions, blue curtains, even the maids were dressed in blue.

"I wonder what his majesty's favorite color is." I said sarcastically. "So... are you going to tell me your name, or am I going to have to guess?"

"Feel free to guess." The man looked at me with mildly amused blue eyes. The blue of his eyes were the mirror of mine. _He has blue eyes like me? How did I not notice this till now?_

"You're Nakago?" Who else could it be? It not like you saw blue eyed people running around everywhere you went.

"Very good." He pulled the hood down, and his golden blonde hair tumbled out around his face. I stood there looking at him speechless. _He's so handsom_. _He even gives Hoto-sama a run for his money. Maybe if he had red hair he'd be a bit better looking, or maybe amber eyes. Wait... DAMN IT! What am I thinking?_

"Surprised?" He lifted an eyebrow. I blushed slightly. I had been staring at him.

"No, I was just thinking about something else. Anyway, I heard you wanted someone to head a group of soldiers."

"Correct. I hadn't expected you to come until you were called on, though, but I suppose it's fine that you showed up early." He said, sitting on his throne. Soon a woman dressed all in black with hair that looked a shade of dark purple entered and stood next to the seated emperor. Nakago continued as if he hadn't noticed her. "Naturally since you're female I will have to test your skills. Not many women can do what needs to be done. You must be tough, cruel at times, and yet fair. You must gain the respect of the men. They will be inclined to... take advantage of the fact that you are of the opposite sex. If you are going to have trouble defending yourself against the wise cracks of the men, be prepared to leave by tomorrow. You're services will not be needed if you can't--"

"You can stop the speech. I wouldn't be here if Hotohori didn't deem me fit to be here. I'm qualified."

"How dare you speak to the emperor so freely!" sneered the woman beside Nakago.

"Nakago, who's the girl?" I asked, annoyed. I wasn't one for formality. Rulers are still regular people, so they get no special treatment from me.

"YOU WILL NOT ADDRESS HIM WITHOUT THE -SAMA. YOU ARE SPEAKING TO THE EMPEROR, GIRL. WATCH YOUR TONGUE!" The women bellowed.

"Did you just yell at me?" My eye twitched in anger. After everything I had been through in the past couple of days I would welcome a good fight. I wanted—no, I needed— something, or someone, to take out my anger on.

"Soi, perhaps you should leave?" Nakago may have said the statement as a request, but the tone he used let Soi know it was a command. The woman, Soi, was damn annoying. She deserved to be told to leave. Soi glared at me for a while before turning and leaving the room. I simply smiled at her. She could kiss my ass.

"I must apologize for Soi. She desires to be my empress and her temper tends to get out of control at times." Nakago said with a sigh.

"Whatever you say. Now, where can I get some food?"

* * *

After a lot of food, putting my stuff in my room, and taking an hour nap I was up and ready to go. I wasn't big on resting. Hell, over the past couple of days I'd been resting more often than Tasuki, who's known for taking naps every 3 hours. I'm tired of having to rest. How odd does that sound, tired of resting? 

I sighed and started to re-do my braid. _Now what_? _Do I go find Nakago? Do I try my luck at finding the gardens?_ There was a sudden knock on the door and I jumped. Uneasy? Me? Nah.

"Lady Sayuki..."

"Just call me Sayu." I interrupted the person, "Feel free to come in." A boy entered the room. He looked to be 16 with sandy brown hair, and a small tanned body. His brown eyes were glued to the floor as he stepped into the room. "Kid, what's your name?"

"I'm not a kid." He said, eyes still intent on the floor.

"Is there something wrong with your neck? Too weak to support your head?" Immediately the boy's head snapped up in anger, "I'm just kidding." I held my hands up to show I meant no harm,"What's your name?"

"Suboshi." He said through tight lips. _I don't think he likes me._ I smiled. I dug deep into my memory and tried to remember what Baba had told me about him: He has a twin brother named Amiboshi who now lives under a different name with no recollection of Suboshi, the race to summon Seiryuu, or anything dealing with his past.

"What are you smiling at?" Subohshi growled.

"If only you were older." I winked. Suboshi turned red as a tomato. I laughed loudly and asked what it was he wanted. Still red, he told me that he was sent to take me to the men I would be in charge of. He led me out of the palace, and into the bustling streets of Konan, explaining that Nakago thought it would be best if I were toobserve the police first (basically watch them from the outside, joining in when I can help) andthen if I'm able to prove myself to him Imove up torunning the station. If I handle the men well I get to over see the entireKotou police force. Eventually (supposedly),Suboshi said Nakagowould put me in charge of a faction of his army… eventually. Basically, because I'm female, he assumes I can't handle myself in a fight. So, I get to work up from the bottom, how fun!

When we reached the station I was considering turning and leaving. _Why the hell do I have to start here?_ I briefly entertained the idea of kicking in Nakago's face. After a deep breath I followed Suboshi inside. The room was filled with men doing this and that; not a woman in sight. _Damnit._

"Men!" Suboshi called over the room. Everyone stopped moving and got quiet. No one dared say anything. He may be a boy, but he was a seishe. He was respected. Why did I have a feeling that I wasn't going to be treated the same way?

"This is Senshi no Yami Sayuki. She has come to joinKotou's police forceandhopes to soonhead the station. Try to treat her with respect." I suppressed a twitch. TRY to treat me with respect?

"Don't hurt the poor idiot boy", I mumbled over and over. After a minute of total silence, all the men broke into laughter. _Well this is going to be fun._


End file.
